And this is why we love spring in Norway. Because it lasts only some days.The first day I mistrustfully look at the sun outside and wear warm scarf and jacket. The second day I leave my hat and gloves at home, take a little walk after work, smell the air and ask: "can it be true? is it spring now?". The third day I wear ballerina shoes and take off my jacket. The fourth day...there is no fourth day. The fourth day is FINITO.
Yesterday I was sitting on the terrace of bakery not far from my home, wearing T-shirt and sunglasses and played a French intellectual. Sitting on the cafe terrace with chai latte and thick book of Roland Barthes "Mythologies". The sun was shining, the streets were full with people, I could hardly read because of all the noise and traffic. Today....it looks like yesterday never existed. The sky is gray, it rains, and wind turns the umbrellas inside out. I am glad that I wear a cap and a long coat (not a denim jacket like I intended), and feel like a one-man expedition to the North pole, struggling my way to the subway through the wind.
Every season is short here, except for winter
Viser innlegg med etiketten weather. Vis alle innlegg
Viser innlegg med etiketten weather. Vis alle innlegg
tirsdag 12. april 2011
onsdag 11. august 2010
One Rainy Day
Today I got the feeling that I died and saw the hell.
But before I just looked out of the window into the gloomy rainy day, and realized that summer moved on. Only on 11th of august when temperature in my home town in Ukraine holds at +40 the whole week and there are forest fires all over Russia. In Norway from now on it is only autumn. Maybe, with some sunny days, but still. In Barcelona there was autumn look in the shops, even if there was +30 outside. Here in Oslo the autumn look is already taking the streets, and I start to think of packing my summer things away. Sad.
As my Facebook status I wrote: “saving the rainy day with Latino music and a red skirt”. Went out with iPod in my ears and red umbrella. Got on the subway and felt the breath of winter. All the signs were there: bleached faces, depressed eyes. Suddenly all the features of Norwegian culture were explained by this weather. The skeptical mouth twist of grown-ups, the habit of not meeting the eyes on the street (because all the deal is to watch your way and get safely through the rain), the rich number of iPods on the subway – because music kills a bit of depression, and fills in the dullness of the day. The dress code: rain boots, huge jackets, sport pants and shoes. Of course, it is much easier to look nice when the sun is shining, but try to keep style when rain gets into your shoes. Today my ballerina shoes were full of water, my legs and feet wet – so in this battle the red skirt has lost. Next time I wear rain boots, because being pretty and wet is no fun.
I was at the buddy workshop today, and we were talking about what we can teach international students about Norwegian way of life. What puzzled me most: Norwegians say that internationals must be taught about Norwegian way of drinking and that many foreigners get shocked by the extent of alcohol consumption in Norway. Well, this is clear too. What do you do when the weather sucks the most of the year, everything is so expensive and there is not so much to do than buy some bottles and throw a home party? But still I thought that Russia is famous for drinking – well, I find out that Scandinavia beats even Russia in this thing.
Getting on the bus, cold and wet, I do what people here do: don’t meet the eyes, plug in headphones into my ears, try to ignore the water streaming down the bus window. Now I wonder: what is weather going to be like next week when I have to take my buddy group around the campus and city? And what do I want to teach them about Norwegian way of life – and what to be silent about and let them discover by themselves?
But before I just looked out of the window into the gloomy rainy day, and realized that summer moved on. Only on 11th of august when temperature in my home town in Ukraine holds at +40 the whole week and there are forest fires all over Russia. In Norway from now on it is only autumn. Maybe, with some sunny days, but still. In Barcelona there was autumn look in the shops, even if there was +30 outside. Here in Oslo the autumn look is already taking the streets, and I start to think of packing my summer things away. Sad.
As my Facebook status I wrote: “saving the rainy day with Latino music and a red skirt”. Went out with iPod in my ears and red umbrella. Got on the subway and felt the breath of winter. All the signs were there: bleached faces, depressed eyes. Suddenly all the features of Norwegian culture were explained by this weather. The skeptical mouth twist of grown-ups, the habit of not meeting the eyes on the street (because all the deal is to watch your way and get safely through the rain), the rich number of iPods on the subway – because music kills a bit of depression, and fills in the dullness of the day. The dress code: rain boots, huge jackets, sport pants and shoes. Of course, it is much easier to look nice when the sun is shining, but try to keep style when rain gets into your shoes. Today my ballerina shoes were full of water, my legs and feet wet – so in this battle the red skirt has lost. Next time I wear rain boots, because being pretty and wet is no fun.
I was at the buddy workshop today, and we were talking about what we can teach international students about Norwegian way of life. What puzzled me most: Norwegians say that internationals must be taught about Norwegian way of drinking and that many foreigners get shocked by the extent of alcohol consumption in Norway. Well, this is clear too. What do you do when the weather sucks the most of the year, everything is so expensive and there is not so much to do than buy some bottles and throw a home party? But still I thought that Russia is famous for drinking – well, I find out that Scandinavia beats even Russia in this thing.
Getting on the bus, cold and wet, I do what people here do: don’t meet the eyes, plug in headphones into my ears, try to ignore the water streaming down the bus window. Now I wonder: what is weather going to be like next week when I have to take my buddy group around the campus and city? And what do I want to teach them about Norwegian way of life – and what to be silent about and let them discover by themselves?
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